ARTICLES ABOUT ENGLISH SUBTITLES BY DATE - PAGE 3

The French film "Don't Let Me Die on a Sunday" starts out with such cinematic dexterity and dramatic promise, that 20 minutes in, I thought I was watching one of the best films of the year. The movie concerns the curious relationship between Ben (Jean-Marc Barr), a morgue worker infected with ennui, and Teresa (Elodie Bouchez, from "The Dreamlife of Angels"), a young and very confused party scientist. One sweaty night, an overdose of Ecstasy at an out-of-control rave brings them together, and as Ben stares down at her naked, dead body, he finds himself unnaturally attracted to her. Unable to control himself (or figuring that no one will ever know)

Adaptation has always been the life-blood of cinema. This week, the International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago (formerly Chicago Latino Cinema) is presenting seven films (all films are in Spanish with English subtitles) based on Mexican works of literature whose mystical themes and surrealistic approaches to storytelling make them ripe for adaptation. The series, which takes place at the Three Penny Cinema, will include "Time to Die," a 1965 film based on a novel by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, scripted by Marquez and Carlos Fuentes, along with "Two Crimes" (1994)

If you really enjoy movies, but you're burned out on standard Hollywood fare, you probably feel there are only three options: Trek to one of Chicago's art theaters, make do with a video or stay frustrated. However, those who live in Kane and western Du Page Counties have ready access to a convenient big-screen alternative. Fermilab International Film Society (FIFS) sponsors public screenings of an array of foreign and independent American films at the nationally known research center in Batavia.

If America's growing appetite for Oriental foods reflects a rising interest in Asian culture, then it may be time for the nation's film community to have a larger serving of celluloid from the East. Chicago will get its share Friday with the opening of the Filipino Film Festival. It will showcase nine feature films and a collection of shorts through Thursday at Facets Multimedia. Appreciating films from the Philippines, says Milos Stehlik, co-director of Facets, is like developing a taste for Thai food.

Many members of the film community were saddened by the news Nov. 20 of the death in Paris of Helen Scott, 72, a good if often tart-tongued collaborator and confidant to filmmakers and film aficionados here and abroad for almost 30 years. Working at the French Film Office in New York in 1959, Scott began a friendship with Francois and Madeleine Truffaut that survived after their divorce and until he died. She participated in Truffaut's 1962 series of interviews with Alfred Hitchcock, which led to the classic film book "Hitchcock" by Truffaut; worked as his assistant on "Fahrenheit 451" and was overseer of the English versions of many of his films.

Polish divorcees apparently have the same problems as American divorcees. Witness the film "My Mother's Lovers," which deals with a woman rearing a son on her own and his reaction to her escapades and friendships. This is just one of six Polish films (with English subtitles) in the Polish Film Festival, which begins Friday at Facets Multimedia. The Polish experience is similar to ours in other ways: For example, "Hero of the Year" (pictured here) details the deviousness of a merciless climber who struggles to the top at others` expense (remember "What Makes Sammy Run" and "All About Eve"?

Not bad for first-timers: A young group of supporters, getting together for their premiere fundraising effort, raised $15,000 a few weeks back for United Cerebral Palsy's big annual telethon. They took over Faces for the evening, had a buffet and silent auction and imported comedic talent from Zanies. As to the relativity of "young" in the first sentence: Everyone on the organizing committee, co-chaired by Felicia Rubloff and Eric Nixon, is under 30, according to member Jerry Steele.

Here is Tuesday's schedule of the 21st Chicago International Film Festival. The offerings, when available for screening, have been reviewed by Tribune critics. Reviews of festival films will appear daily in Tempo and in the Friday section. Films will be shown at the McClurg Court Theater, 330 E. Ohio St., and Music Box Theater, 3733 N. Southport Ave. "The Innocent" (England), 6 p.m. McClurg Court. A coming-of-age film, and a good one. Set in a small village rocked by the closing of the local mill, "The Innocent" is a touching, beautifully filmed and well-acted movie.